Grays Harbor Historical Seaport is an educational non-profit that operates traditionally rigged vessels along the West Coast. Lady Washington is a full-scale replica of the original Lady Washington that rounded Cape Horn on a trading voyage after the American Revolution and in 1788 became the first American vessel to make landfall on the western coast of North America. Hawaiian Chieftain is a square-rigged topsail ketch built in Hawaii in 1988 with a modern triple keel and shallow draft hull.
I sailed on Hawaiian Chieftain learning how to sail traditional vessels and gathering first-hand data on the rigors, requirements, and social environment of those who work and live aboard traditional vessels. After completing a two-week training course, I was invited to remain on board as a crew member, performing daily rig and hull maintenance as well as assisting with daily vessel operations.
Hawaiian Chieftain has been dry-docked and Gray's Harbor has now sold it to new owners who intend to fix it up and sail it back to Hawaii.